This patent document contains information subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent, as it appears in the US Patent and Trademark Office files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention, in certain respects, relates to consumer PC hard disks. In other respects, the present invention relates to tools for backing up data of a hard disk and for preventing data loss and data corruption.
2. Description of Background Information
Single user computer systems, i.e., personal computers, perform backups typically using tape drives or CD ROM backup peripherals. Some personal computer operating systems may support mirroring of data on a second/supplemental hard disk. There are limitations with these methods of backing up data, particularly with the use of tape backup and CD ROM backup procedures. Both of these methods require a user to be actively involved in the backup process. The user must remember to perform backups, to monitor the backup process, and to address backup problems when they occur. For example, the user may need to, for a given backup operation, replace the tape or CD ROM due to a limit in the storage space of the backup in storage device. In addition, the speed with which data can be written to and read from such storage devices is a substantial limitation.
Writable DVDs can be used to backup data, and have an increased storage capacity (for example, on the order of 15 GB). However, the speed with which data can be written to a writable DVD is substantially limited.
There is a need for tools that make it easier for users of personal computers to backup their data and to retrieve data from backup. There is a further need for mechanisms that speed up the rate with which data can be retrieved from backup.
The present invention is provided to achieve one or more of the objects and advantages as set forth herein. The aspects of the invention presented herein improve upon computer hard disks and improve the methods and systems for backing up hard disks. A more specific object of the present invention may be to prevent data loss, for example, due to unintentional erasure or due to intentional tampering of a hard disk, (e.g., a virus).
The invention may allow for immediate access to backed up data in a fast-access, non-volatile storage (e.g., within the same hard disk). Another object of the invention may be to provide an entire imaged backup of the hard disk in a backup area provided within the same hard disk. A further object of the present invention may be to provide firmware control of the backup space within the hard disk. Another object can be to provide a mechanism resistant to external tampering (e.g., hardward or firmware) that precludes unauthorized access to data in the diskxe2x80x94specifically data in the backup area of the disk.
One aspect of the invention is directed to a personal computer hard disk that contains a backup portion as well as a primary portion. The invention may be directed to any one or more subparts of such a personal computer hard disk or to a method including acts performed by such a personal computer hard disk. The invention may be further directed to subparts of the method and specific sets of acts thereof.
In accordance with one embodiment, the hard disk comprises a unitary hard disk housing, an input/output interface in the housing, a control portion, internal memory, a head/disk assembly, hardware interaction circuitry (coupling the control portion to the head/disk assembly), backup control software, and a backup access control mechanism. The input/output interface connects the hard disk to a host computer. The control portion controls storage-related operations of the hard disk. The internal memory includes disk operational software and operational data. The head/disk assembly comprises a spindle motor, a servo, read write heads, and disk media.
The backup control software is provided in the internal memory, and controls the backing up of data in a primary storage portion of the disk media to a logically separate backup portion of the disk media. The backup access control mechanism controls access to the logically separate backup portion of the disk media.